He had been trying to distract her for a while, but it wasn’t working. She had heard this story many times before, but that wasn't the problem. Actually, it was one of her favorites and she could listen to it over and over and never be bored. Her father and aunt’s struggles during the time they wandered after their parents disappeared never got old. She especially liked to hear how brave and clever Lena had been when she was getting them out of the troubles that she got them into. Taking care of each other, finding work and food: these things seemed amazing and exciting to Mercy when she sat in her bed and listened to them; she had called them their 'adventures.' Now that she had seen a bordertown up close, and now that she had had some troubles of her own, she suspected that they weren’t cool or exciting at the time. They were probably really terrible.
Hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry. She rubbed her forehead with the back of her wrist and then drew her forearm down over her eyes.
“The second night, we got lucky and found an abandoned apartment. The owner had gone missing, just like so many others had, but nobody had noticed yet. So, we were able to stay there and eat what hadn’t spoiled for a few days, until a couple of men came by to collect on some debts the man owed. They were pretty mad about not getting their money…”
Why is he taking so long? Mercy interrupted him, her patience slipping out of her grasp. She reached for it again, stretching out and waving her hand...Ugh, I know, I know. It’s okay. Never mind.
Hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry.
“He’ll be here when he’s done. He said it might be all day. We’ll just have to wait. Remember, Temper went to see what she could find.” It’s not like we’re doing nothing.
Mercy lowered her arm and looked around the room. Jin and Steven were playing cards with Orin at the table. Summer was keeping an informal watch, occasionally moving from the door to the opposite window. Her dad sat next to her on the floor under the front window. They had brought in the sleeping bags to make a soft mattress on the floor, so it wasn’t uncomfortable. It looks a lot like nothing to me. If we could just contact him… The last thought she had meant to keep to herself, but it slipped out.
Hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry.
It was driving her crazy.
“We can’t call, you know that. There is no way to do it without exposing ourselves. We just have to wait.” I’m sorry, sweetheart.
She nodded her head, closing her eyes and lying down; she propped her head on her dad’s leg. She threw one arm over her head to block out some of the light, and let the other fall onto her stomach. There, she felt the little bump under her shirt: a tiny circle the size of a bottlecap. Such a small thing, but it made her feel safe…
She sat up. “I know!” She turned and looked at her father. I know how we can contact him!
-----------
Temper entered the section of Scere administration that housed the research department at a quick pace. She had already lost a great deal of time with both planned and unexpected meetings, and was concerned that the next task would take a long time as well.
Mercy and her father had been very convincing about a possible danger to someone’s family, and, despite the bizarre nature of their information, she believed them and wanted to do what she could to prevent the murders. Thus, she had been frustrated earlier when her trip to research was interrupted by a chance meeting with a superior.
“Watcher,” a voice had called out to her as she strode down the hallway, having barely come into the administrative area of the building. “Watcher Temper.”
She stopped, turned and then strode toward him, “Master Watcher.” She bowed to him politely.
“I did not know you were here in Quo Ire.”
“I have just arrived.”
“Did you get news of your reassignment, then?” he asked, obviously confused. “I did not think it had reached you.”
“I have had news of it.” She of course did not mention that the information she had received could not have been the latest. She paused, waiting for him.
“Well, then let me give you what I have so that you can begin. Have you submitted your report?”
“No, but I will complete it without delay. Perhaps I could have today to get everything in order?”
“The faster you begin this, the better. This is a priority assignment.” He led her inside his office, stepped up to his desk and shuffled through some folders. “You have your personal, of course…”
“It is here.” She reached into her bag and pulled out her portable computer. She handed it to him and watched as he transferred the data from his device.
“There you go and here is some supplemental information that I think you will find useful,” he handed her a stack of files with her computer, all of which she stowed in her bag. “You will need to schedule your debriefing for the Young assignment…”
“Yes, I will take care of that, thank you.” She turned to go, but paused when he spoke again.
“You are headed toward your section, then? I am going that way myself.”
“Well, I was going to research for a quick errand, but I can do it later. I will accompany you.”
“Good, then you can fill me in as we go.”
“It would be my honor, Master Watcher. It would be helpful to me, sir, if you could first give me some more information about the new assignment. I am eager to see what type of situation would pull me off another assignment when others are available.”
“Ah, you noticed that? Well, you are the best one suited for this particular assignment, with your connections in the Capital and your relationship with the Families.”
That caught her attention. The Families made up a group of a dozen Kin families that stood at the top of the Kin political hierarchy, just below the King himself. She was a member of one of them and so was very familiar with both the people themselves as well as the special rules that dominated their world. “Please inform me of the details.”
After that, she had been forced to rearrange her plans, putting off the trip to research and moving up her unofficial visit to the Eler’s Head Watcher. That meeting had taken longer than she had expected as well, and now she felt nervous about how much time had passed since she had left Scythe’s place in the outer city.
She spoke to the data tech scheduler at the reception desk, “I would like time with a tech, immediately if possible.”
“Absolutely, Watcher. Let me check who is available…”
“I would like to request Jo’thos or Holly.”
“Let’s...no, they are on special assignment. How about...Legh?”
“I am sorry, but I would like someone I know well,” and who is much more competent than him. “Is Land available?”
“That’s funny, he’s assigned with Jo’ and Holly.” The scheduler smiled appreciatively, “You really know your techs. However, they are hardly ever available; I would have been more surprised if they had been free.”
“Perhaps one of them could make an exception and give me just twenty minutes?”
“I can ask their lead. Please wait just one minute, Watcher.”
After a moment, she said regretfully, “I’m sorry, but their lead is giving me a firm...um, ‘No.’”
Temper could tell that “No” was not the term used for the refusal. That made her wonder if...
“I hate to bother you further, but...who is the lead on that assignment?”
“Aorin,” she answered.
Ah, things were looking up. “I believe she will accommodate me. We have a long history. Will you mention to her that I am the one seeking help?”
She was reticent, but finally said, “All right. One moment.” It almost looked painful for her to type the request.
“I do appreciate your attention to my ne
ed. I would not ask if it wasn’t important,” Temper assured her.
“Of course you wouldn’t, Watcher! I know that you only come here in need. I hope we can help you in your assignment.” She glanced at the screen when it made another short beeping sound, “Ah, you were right. She is approving time with Jo’thos. Do you know where his office is?”
“Yes, and please accept my thanks. You are very generous.”
“It was my honor, Watcher.”
Temper was glad to step away from the strong perfume that spread out from the receptionist. It was the habit of many, in that city in particular but also in most others, to drown out the overwhelming odors with something more pleasant. Being Kin meant being aware of so many things at once that it often became too much to bear in a place filled to capacity with people and machines. It took training, practice, patience and willpower to tone down the senses, only hearing or smelling what you wanted to and letting the rest pass by, unnoticed. She did not blame people who sought relief from the assault on their senses. However, Temper had not been one to systematically desensitize herself with perfumes, sunglasses and earphones; that was one of the reasons why she enjoyed assignments that took her into the bordertowns or other less cosmopolitan areas.
Unfortunately, because of her special experience, she found herself back in the cities more often than she liked. Perhaps, she thought to herself, I should seek an apprentice, maybe a cousin. She would ask her father about it.
Turning a corner, she caught it and paused: a scent she knew. Instead of going right, she followed it left, smiling when she finally realized where it was leading her. These things had been happening to her a great deal since she had started working with him. Convergences. It was as if the thread of her life was intertwined with his. Why a child of a great family would be linked to a halfblood fifteen years her junior and born from a bordertown Human baffled her. They couldn’t have started life further apart.
Her first assignment with him was one she had asked for, having compassion for the mission and a desire to get away from the political stresses going on in the Capital at the time. It was only later that she found out that it was his first assignment. She was impressed by the quiet, self confident young man, and, like everyone else, both astounded and repelled by his ability to take information right from the mind: an ability which made acquiring the principals involved almost too easy to believe. They had both been there when the last of the intended slaves had been located and their assignment was officially completed.
She had commented, “You did well, for your first mission.”
At the time, he had still harbored a strong ill will toward all the Scere, including her, so he had merely nodded and stepped forward to help the Humans as they were led out of their cells.
Within a year, he would stop helping and before the second ended, he wouldn’t even stay to watch. He had always, from the beginning, been distrustful of everyone around him, and kept himself apart during missions. He never interacted with others unless it was work related and did not respond to the increasingly fewer questions about his life. His behavior slowly spread from the treatment of his comrades to those he was working to protect, until he had the same unconcerned attitude at all times.
Soon the reputation of being 'the cold halfblood' attached itself to him and followed him around like a stray dog. He was efficient, dependable and a talented fighter, but solitary and therefore unforgivably warped in the minds of the Kin.
Yet, she noticed, he was still very selective about the assignments he accepted, assignments that, when reviewed in their entirety, clearly outlined his character. Since they often accepted the same missions, she felt that she knew him as well as anyone, which was hardly at all. However, the small amount that she did understand, she admired and even felt some kinship with.
So it was both pleasant and difficult for her to watch him develop a relationship with the Young family. She was truly glad that his loneliness was at an end and was sincere in her approval of the caring man and his daughter. It was clear that Scythe was becoming a better man for embracing them, but the situation with the girl had forced him to lower himself to subterfuge that directly involved--no, it was actually aimed at--Temper. That injured her deeper than she liked to admit. Such a Human thing to do. Still, she had trouble blaming him for his actions. He knew that she would do her duty, despite their mutual respect and history, so he was making the choices that he felt were best.
She politely stood outside the door for a moment before knocking and then waited until she was admitted.
“Watcher,” Aorin said, “I thought you would be working with Jo’.”
“Temper,” Scythe said, equally surprised. “What has happened?” He immediately pulled out a device she recognized from his pocket and checked it. His shoulders relaxed visibly, and he replaced it, looking to her for an explanation.
“Good afternoon, Researcher, Scythe.” She waved away both of the seats that were offered her.
Looking from one to the other, Aorin asked incredulously, “Are you the Watcher on this assignment?”
“I am. There has been some disruption, and I was persuaded by parties known to Scythe that it was important for me to gather some information.” She nodded to Aorin, “My intention was to go to Jo’thos’ office, but I detected the presence of Agent Scythe and so I came to meet up with him. Perhaps you should notify Jo’thos that I will not be arriving?”
As Aorin started to comply, Scythe asked bluntly, “What disruption?”
“There is no danger to our party. However,” Temper paused, wondering how much to say in front of Aorin.”
“You know what? I’ll go tell him myself,” Aorin said, locking down access to the database and excusing herself. “I’ll be back in...ten?”
“Five,” Scythe said, adding, “Thank you, Aorin.”
After she left, Temper explained the vision that Mercy had experienced and Ian’s belief that they should act on the information.
“I’m not familiar with this type of vision,” Scythe said, “but if Ian said that we should follow up on it, I’m sure we should.”
“Apparently, the girl becomes filled with a strong will to act. She was very upset, but her father was able to calm her, given that I would search for this dragon man and his family. I came here immediately. Also,” she continued, “you should know that I inadvertently ran into the Hedeler’s Master Watcher and he has effected my reassignment. After today, I will be expected to submit my report and begin on the second task.”
Scythe nodded, “I understand. Will another Watcher be assigned to Mercy?”
“I don’t think so. My report should be sufficient.”
“Alright.” He said thoughtfully, “It feels like things are moving.”
“Yes,” she agreed, grinning. They had been in this situation before.
“We found him, Phillip the ghost man. His real name is Cord.”
“That’s a Kin name,” she said, surprised. ‘Cord’ in Kin represented the ties that bound people together. It was the type of name a respectable family would give. Temper turned and opened the door for Aorin, who came in smiling.
“Hold on to something, Watcher,” she said, sitting down and reactivating her status.
“Yes,” Scythe said, “it is a Kin name, because he has a Kin parent and a full Kin brother who works in Intelligence.”
“That...is extraordinary.” Temper’s mind was flying over the implications of just that information alone. “The security breaches you had discovered would be easily accomplished from there. Who have you notified?”
“We have just now discovered it,” Aorin explained, “and were preparing a report.”
“I will continue with the report if you could help Watcher Temper with her search,” Scythe suggested.
“No problem, the dump is about complete anyway,” she said, indicating a turtle spinning upside down on its shell in the corner of her display. “Who are we looking for?”
Temper gave her all the
information she had been given by Mercy without giving away clues about the nature of the information, along with a few ideas that she had of her own, concluding with, “...start with limiting by this region, as the source’s information tends to center on this area.”
“Okay, a man related to a dragon somehow with only one son within a five year age span starting with three years old. Here goes.”
A list of twenty Kin flowed down the display. They looked them over, but nothing stood out immediately. It could have been any of them.
“The dragon was red, so let’s eliminate a few of these,” Temper suggested.
Scythe, typing furiously into his personal processor, mumbled, “Red dragon...red dragon…” Then he stopped and turned to look at Temper. “Did she say, ‘red’? Because a Human would say, ‘red,’ but a Kin might say…”
“No,” Aorin denied, but her fingers moved to the screen anyway, opening another window and pulling up information on another dragon altogether.
“Blood Dragon.” Temper completed the thought that they all held inside, as if that could keep it from escaping and wreaking havoc.
Scythe nodded, “A Human wouldn’t even think to call it a Blood Dragon. They will usually use colors instead of metaphors to describe things they see, and they are particularly uncomfortable relating things they care about to health or death.”
“She said there was something with blood…” Temper tried to remember what it was.
They looked at the second window, which was titled: “The Dragon of the Blood, the Protector of the Blood, The Kin, The King.” Just below, a list of the line of Kin rulers, ending with the current and a link to the facts about him and his family. None of them needed to follow the link; they knew how many children he had.
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